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Zinc-regulating Proteins, ZnT-1, and Metallothionein I/II Are Present in Different Cell Populations in the Mouse Testis

Vered Elgazar, Vladimir Razanov, Meredin Stoltenberg, Michal Hershfinkel, Mahmoud Huleihel, Yuval Bibi Nitzan, Eitan Lunenfeld, Israel Sekler and William F. Silverman

Departments of Morphology (VE,MH,YBN,WFS) and Physiology (IS), Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Departments of Microbiology and Immunology (MH), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (VR,EL), Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel, and Department of Neurobiology (MS), Institute of Anatomy University of Aarhus, Aarhus C, Denmark

Correspondence to: Israel Sekler, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84 105 Israel. E-mail: sekler{at}bgumail.bgu.ac.il

Zinc ions play an important role in testis development and spermatogenesis. Thus, nutritional zinc deficiency leads to aberrant testicular development, reduced spermatogenesis, and male sterility. The precise actions of zinc in mediating these functions and the mechanisms by which zinc is itself regulated in the testis, however, have not been adequately elucidated. We have assessed the distribution of the zinc-regulating proteins ZnT-1 and metallothionein I/II (MT I/II) in the mouse seminiferous tubule. Colabeling for ZnT-1 and MT I/II demonstrated unique patterns of distribution for these proteins, with ZnT-1 present in Sertoli cells in addition to luminal spermatozoa and MT I/II restricted to spermatocytes. These findings were confirmed by dual-label immunofluorescence for ZnT-1 and the Sertoli cell marker, vimentin, and by immunoelectron microscopy. The differential expression patterns of ZnT-1 and MTs support the hypothesis that ZnT-1 and MTs play different roles in the regulation of intracellular zinc in this organ. The specific expression of ZnT-1 in the Sertoli cells, moreover, is consistent with their role in maintaining a nurturing, closely regulated environment for spermatogenesis.

(J Histochem Cytochem 53:905–912, 2005)

Key Words: Sertoli cell • germ cells • spermatogenesis • seminiferous tubule • metal biology • ion homeostasis

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This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Yamaguchi, C. Miura, K. Kikuchi, F. T. Celino, T. Agusa, S. Tanabe, and T. Miura Zinc is an essential trace element for spermatogenesis PNAS, June 30, 2009; 106(26): 10859 - 10864. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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